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Foodstuffs launches fleet of electric vans

A new fleet of 100 percent electric vans is cruising around New Zealand, branded with New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square logos.

Foodstuffs New Zealand officially launched the fleet at a ceremony attended by Foodstuffs New Zealand Managing Director, Steve Anderson and MP for Selwyn Amy Adams, held at New World Lincoln in Canterbury on August 4.

Foodstuffs New Zealand was awarded $500,000 by EECA from the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund to implement a project that involved importing 28 electric vans from the UK.

“The EECA funding covered 50 percent of the project cost, with Foodstuffs New Zealand funding the other half. The EECA funding is designed to encourage innovation and investment that will accelerate the uptake of electric and other low-emission vehicles (LEV) in New Zealand that might not otherwise occur,” Foodstuffs New Zealand Managing Director Steve Anderson says.

Sustainability Manager for Foodstuffs New Zealand Mike Sammons says the van rollout complements the electric vehicle fast charging points that are being installed in a number of stores.

“We already have fast charge stations at the New World stores in Otaki, Warkworth, Te Kuiti and Kumeu in the North Island and Northwood in the South Island, we anticipate another half dozen will be installed over the next year or so. We see these charging stations as an important community resource. They will become increasingly useful to our customers as more New Zealanders transition over to electric vehicles over the coming years.” With their brightly coloured branding, the Foodstuffs vans are highly visible on the road. Sammons says they’ll be a talking point in the 28 communities they are being distributed to around New Zealand.

“EECA’s aim is to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles by making this funding available to businesses. Our store owners are very happy with them and we think our customers will take an interest in them too. For Foodstuffs, this is just a small part of our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and make our business more environmentally sustainable. “Fully electric vehicles produce no emissions improving both local air quality and helping reduce global warming. They use battery technology, which powers an electric motor. They require less maintenance and are extremely quiet. They’re also very functional and can accelerate and climb hills better than a standard petrol vehicle,” Sammons says.

There are 28 stores involved in the programme. Thorndon New World in Wellington was the test store, and received its electric van in May. The store offers a delivery service, for which the van has already proven very useful.

All 28 stores will have their vans on the road by the beginning of September.